Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) — Cash Flow Quality Index
Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) has a Cash Flow Quality Index of 6.25x as of March 2026. Operating cash flow of $1.42 Billion exceeds net income of $227.00 Million, indicating high earnings quality where cash backs reported profits. Explore cash flow to debt ratio of Southwest Airlines Company to assess how comfortably operating cash covers total debt obligations.
Cash Flow Quality Index
Operating Cash Flow
Net Income
Data as of
Southwest Airlines Company Cash Flow Quality Index (1989–2025)
Historical Cash Flow Quality Index for Southwest Airlines Company across 36 annual periods. Values consistently above 1.0x indicate high-quality earnings. For the full cash flow conversion analysis, see cash efficiency ratio of Southwest Airlines Company.
Annual Cash Flow Quality Index for Southwest Airlines Company (1989–2025)
Year-by-year earnings quality comparison for Southwest Airlines Company.
| Year | Quality Index | Operating CF (USD) | Net Income | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.18x | $1.84 Billion | $441.00 Million | ▲ +320.4% |
| 2024 | 0.99x | $462.00 Million | $465.00 Million | ▼ -85.4% |
| 2023 | 6.80x | $3.16 Billion | $465.00 Million | ▼ -3.2% |
| 2022 | 7.03x | $3.79 Billion | $539.00 Million | ▲ +195.9% |
| 2021 | 2.38x | $2.32 Billion | $977.00 Million | ▲ +37.1% |
| 2019 | 1.73x | $3.99 Billion | $2.30 Billion | ▼ -12.7% |
| 2018 | 1.98x | $4.89 Billion | $2.46 Billion | ▲ +76.2% |
| 2017 | 1.13x | $3.93 Billion | $3.49 Billion | ▼ -41.1% |
| 2016 | 1.91x | $4.29 Billion | $2.24 Billion | ▲ +28.9% |
| 2015 | 1.48x | $3.24 Billion | $2.18 Billion | ▼ -41.9% |
| 2014 | 2.55x | $2.90 Billion | $1.14 Billion | ▼ -22.6% |
| 2013 | 3.30x | $2.49 Billion | $754.00 Million | ▼ -32.6% |
| 2012 | 4.90x | $2.06 Billion | $421.00 Million | ▼ -37.0% |
| 2011 | 7.78x | $1.39 Billion | $178.00 Million | ▲ +128.8% |
| 2010 | 3.40x | $1.56 Billion | $459.00 Million | ▼ -65.8% |
| 2009 | 9.95x | $985.00 Million | $99.00 Million | ▲ +216.4% |
| 2008 | -8.54x | $-1.52 Billion | $178.00 Million | ▼ -293.7% |
| 2007 | 4.41x | $2.85 Billion | $645.00 Million | ▲ +56.5% |
| 2006 | 2.82x | $1.41 Billion | $499.00 Million | ▼ -30.7% |
| 2005 | 4.07x | $2.23 Billion | $548.00 Million | ▲ +10.0% |
| 2004 | 3.70x | $1.16 Billion | $313.00 Million | ▲ +22.3% |
| 2003 | 3.02x | $1.34 Billion | $442.00 Million | ▲ +40.0% |
| 2002 | 2.16x | $520.21 Million | $240.97 Million | ▼ -25.7% |
| 2001 | 2.90x | $1.48 Billion | $511.15 Million | ▲ +34.9% |
| 2000 | 2.15x | $1.30 Billion | $603.09 Million | ▲ +1.9% |
| 1999 | 2.11x | $1.00 Billion | $474.38 Million | ▲ +3.3% |
| 1998 | 2.04x | $886.13 Million | $433.43 Million | ▲ +6.4% |
| 1997 | 1.92x | $610.59 Million | $317.77 Million | ▼ -35.2% |
| 1996 | 2.97x | $615.23 Million | $207.34 Million | ▲ +18.7% |
| 1995 | 2.50x | $456.44 Million | $182.63 Million | ▲ +8.6% |
| 1994 | 2.30x | $412.67 Million | $179.33 Million | ▼ -9.6% |
| 1993 | 2.55x | $392.70 Million | $154.30 Million | ▼ -12.4% |
| 1992 | 2.91x | $264.50 Million | $91.00 Million | ▼ -24.2% |
| 1991 | 3.84x | $103.20 Million | $26.90 Million | ▲ +61.5% |
| 1990 | 2.38x | $111.90 Million | $47.10 Million | ▲ +1.3% |
| 1989 | 2.35x | $168.00 Million | $71.60 Million | — |